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Thursday, 17 July 2014

I've not tried anything by Bare Minerals before, so when I had the chance to choose something from Chemist Direct, this was a brand I had in mind. I chose to treat my eyebrows to the 'Frame and Define' in universal light. The styler claims to be an all-in-one, delivering perfectly polished brows, which is what we all desire, right?

When it arrived, my first impressions was regarding the neat, yet stylistic packaging. I think products with pretty packaging makes it all the more lovable. I also like the twisty design of the pencil, much more fun than sharpening every week or so. The only issue is that I have no idea how much product I have left!

In total honesty, I thought that this styler could have done with a brush.. this was before I discovered that when you pull the other end of the pencil.. there IS a built in brush.. *blonde moment*. So it has everything you need to create the perfect style for your brows. The colour is almost seamless to my natural shade and the formula of the product means that I don't go through it too quickly.. a problem I seem to have had in the past with eyebrow pencils.

One last nifty little trick that this product has in store is the 'tips and tricks' pamphlet inside teaching you how to get the best results. For me, who doesn't get along very well with the whole eyebrow procedure, this is actually very helpful. Overall, I was rather impressed with the product and most definitely consider repurchasing.

If you want to try this for yourself, you can pick it up from Chemist Direct for £12 (RRP £13). Also, let me know what products you use for your eyebrows or if you've tried this one?

This product was courtesy of Chemist Direct who are one of Europe's largest online pharmacies. They stock a vast array of beauty and healthcare products and ship to many countries around the world.I have also found that many of the products are cheaper than finding them in store and delivery is SUPER fast! Chemist Direct also have some useful services such as an online doctor and a blog in which they provide customers with handy tips and advice.

Friday, 11 July 2014

This dress has been my 'go-to' outfit of choice so far this summer so today I thought I would share it with you. I bought this piece back in May ready for my adventure to the Isle of Wight Festival because I thought it would be perfect to create a festival styled look. It was great to wear at the festival because of how loose and comfy it was in the heat, but still pretty and stylish. For me, it is really difficult to find maxi dresses that actually fit because of how short I am, so this was part of the petite range at New Look and thankfully falls just on the tops of my feet. The slits down the bottom of the dress are also a total godsend in the summer to keep cool and breezy, but without showing too much leg!

Little Belle also wanted to join in with the pictures, She is our 5 month Sprocker Spaniel puppy who is full of lots of love and energy. We took her for a walk just after taking these photo's so I just chucked on a loose fitting jumper which I picked up last summer from Zara. I absolutely love the colour of this piece, it doesn't show up as well in the photo's, but it is a bright (almost fluorescent) pinky-orange colour and it goes really nicely with the dress by just brightening everything up a bit. If it's really hot and sunny out, I like to wear a floppy hat with cat-eye sunglasses.. oh so chic!

Wednesday, 11 June 2014

I have been wearing foundation for about 6 years now, and still I feel like I am yet to find the perfect product for my skin. I am extremely pale and usually have "normal" skin. Recently I have found my skin to be fairly oily but I think this is a result of the last foundation I used which was the Rimmel 'Wake Me Up.' I also have a real problem with the whole 'looking orange' thing when I wear foundation, please tell me I'm not the only one?

Recently I chose to try the L'Oréal Nude Magique Eau de Teint in 100 Porcelain (told you I was pale!), which claims to be a feather light foundation feeling as light and fresh as water. The back of the bottle reads, "Instantly fuses with the skin blending seamlessly to leave a silky, second skin effect. What bought me was the claim of a naturally even and shine free look. It's also worth mentioning that this foundation has an SPF of 18 which could be useful for the upcoming summer.

My first impression was about the consistency of the foundation and how similar it is to a liquid rather than any other foundations I have tried. I like this idea because it blends so much easier into the skin as well as feeling light and breathable as the claims suggest. I love this because in the warm weather, there is nothing worse than wearing a heavy, cakey foundation and feeling as though your make up is just melting off! So the barely-there feeling is comfortable and fresh. Due to the consistency, it is however a little difficult to apply and get out of the bottle because it just runs everywhere! But I feel as though the benefits outweigh the negatives here.

With regards to the coverage of the foundation, the claim of having 'undetectable coverage' is fairly accurate. It is really light coverage that truthfully is like a second skin effect. Having tried various BB creams, I would say this foundation is the step between a BB cream and other foundations. Personally I feel like my skin tone is quite uneven so I like having slightly more coverage than this provides but like I said before, this is really lovely for the hot weather.

Lastly, I have to mention how much I love the packaging. This product feels expensive because of the glass bottle, and I love the purple shine, it just looks pretty and pricey!

You can purchase this foundation through Chemist Direct for £8.99 - RRP is £9.99. Let me know if you've tried this product before and how you got on with it, or any other questions in the comments :)

This product was courtesy of Chemist Direct who are one of Europe's largest online pharmacies. They stock a vast array of beauty and healthcare products and ship to many countries around the world.I have also found that many of the products are cheaper than finding them in store and delivery is SUPER fast! Chemist Direct also have some useful services such as an online doctor and a blog in which they provide customers with handy tips and advice.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Not my usual type of post, but oh my goodness how sweet are these strawberry socks?! These totally remind me of the quirky little things I used to have as a child and just bring a smile to my face when I wear them. Spring/summer eat your heart out! In all honesty I haven't ventured out in public wearing these just yet because I can't think of any outfits to pair them with (or perhaps i'm just not brave enough), but I love them for lazing around the house.

If you want to get your hands (or feet) on these beauties, I picked them up from ASOS for £3. Unfortunately they are currently out of stock.. but here are some other strawberry inspired goodies to get you in the fruity mood..

Thursday, 29 May 2014

It's true, I know what they like - beautiful nails. And lucky me, because last week my mother brought home some pretty polishes from the much coveted Deborah Lippman range. However, the special phenomenon regarding these particular gems is that they were purchased for one singular pound each. Yup, £1 for what are normally around the price range of £10-£15! To be totally honest with you, she works for House of Fraser and was quickly alerted about a major sale happening. Naturally she snapped up the opportunity. But if you are in the right place at the right time.. you never know what bargains you may encounter!

(Candy Shop, I know what boys like, Across the Universe and Fade to Black)

I really love the shade, 'I know what boys like', because of it's wear-ability. The glitter shades are fun and very eye grabbing but they contain chunky glitter which is sometimes difficult to work with. Usually these glitter shades have a prettier result when applied with a normal shade. I had a go at some variations below.

(I know what boys like with Across the Universe over the top, Fade to Black with Candy Shop over the top and then I know what boys like with Candy shop over the top.)

Oh the fun playing around with nail varnishes!

*Just to clarify, the title of this post simply reflects the name of a featured nail varnish. I don't really know what boys like*

Saturday, 1 March 2014

Although Valentines Day was a good couple of weeks ago now, I feel like I have to dedicate this post to it because it was really special for Nick and I. It was actually our first Valentines Day together and I know a lot of people complain that it's just a commercialised money making scheme, and "you should show your love everyday," but we love treating each other, and this was just another excuse to. During the day, he had work and I had a full day of uni, so we decided to have a romantic evening in with good food, a film and lots of candles and rose petals!

I felt very lucky! I thought i'd also include what I wore. I know we stayed in, but I still wanted to look nice, and I needed an excuse to wear this adorable red skirt with black leather panels from River Island. I bought it last year but have only worn it a handful of times so far. Straight after we finished eating, I ran upstairs and changed into joggers because that's the real me.. haha.

So the night before Valentines Day, Nick and I stayed up until midnight to exchange gifts because we were so excited! He enjoys Geocaching (if you don't know what it is, google it) so I bought him a GPS device to use when he goes out, plus he's a real gadget geek. And I was surprised with my very first Pandora bracelet! The thought behind it was to buy a new charm at monumental times in my life, so each charm means something special to me and brings back certain memories. He had also bought me my first charm, which was the little puffed silver heart and the word 'love' in a few different languages. However, I was allowed to buy one another charm and chose the cutest little bow, i'm such a girly girl!

So I was a very lucky and happy girl and I really appreciated all the effort he went to in order to make Valentine's Day so special for me. I hope everyone else had a wonderful day too, in a relationship or not. My housemate who is single teamed up with one of her girlfriends and made cards and gifts for each other which I thought was a really cute idea too.

I also need help and inspiration for new charms! I'm so excited to fill up my bracelet and make it personal. If you have one, or have done a blog post on one, i'd love to read it.

Tomorrow I'm heading down to Vodka Revs in Bristol for the #BrizBlogMeet - Let me know if you are also attending or if you want to follow the event throughout the course of the day, you can follow me on twitter (@katiefhowell) and track it through the hashtag stated above.

What did you do for Valentine's day? Do you have a Pandora bracelet? And if so, what kind of charms?

Tuesday, 11 February 2014

In September, I moved out by myself for the first time into a flat with 5 other people to begin my university adventures. Because I went through clearing, I didn't get into uni halls which is where most first year students end up. So I had to find somewhere to live quickly. The ground floor flat that I'm currently staying in is a very old and spacious building with a lot of outdated furniture. It has 3 bathrooms, a lounge area, a very spacious kitchen/dining room, 5 double bedrooms and one single. Luckily I was able to move into a double room, but because of the high ceilings, the entire house is FREEZING cold, and being poor students, we only allow ourselves a couple of hours of heating a day. I'm only on a 6 month lease, therefore I will be moving home for a while in March, but here is how I've made the room feel more homely.

The first feature of my room is my mirror, and it's my favourite! It's a really old basic rectangular mirror - not even full sized and it's been in my dad's spare room for years. I decorated this simply with fairy lights (from the pound shop) draped over the top and pinned with cutesy bird pegs. As you can see, I have also attached an air freshener which was in the Christmas range from Tesco, and a shabby chic styled heart shaped decoration.

The next feature is my desk. The flat came fully furnished, including the desks, drawers and chair in my room, so they are not to my taste, therefore decoration is my only option. The night lamp is from Argos and produces pretty patterns when it catches the light. I've had to improvise with vases since my boyfriend tends to show up with a bunch of flowers on my doorstep now and then, so I have resorted to using wine bottles. I like it though, it feels kind of, DIY. Both wooden picture frames were gifts, one from my boyfriend and one from my best friend, so they sit proudly on either side of my desk. Being a candle fanatic, I have 3 or 4 at once on my desk and I'm currently burning 'Vanilla Cupcake' by Yankee Candle.

Dotted around the room, I have a couple of accents on the walls. The first is my jewellery hanger which was a birthday gift a couple of years ago and I mainly use it to store my necklaces and bracelets. Earrings are quite a hassle to attach so they have alternative storage. I bought the wall clock from Argos in the sale, a fiver I think? It gets a lot of compliments and I love the unique baroque design. Finally, another wooden heart decoration because I get gifted so many! This one sits above my TV and i think the fact that it looks a bit worn gives it a vintage effect.

Next we have the bed, basically where I spend the majority of my time. Luckily, I got a lovely bed frame and a brand new mattress when I moved in. The sheets are a white, blue and yellow floral design again, from Argos in the sale, and they are reversible with a picture design. I have a white velvet Ikea cushion which serves a decorative purpose, but I would love more! I think having a few bed cushions make it look so comfy and cosy. My friend bought me the cream knitted throw for Christmas which may possibly be my most prized possession and I have a couple of soft blankets at the foot of the bed in case it gets super chilly. There are more pound land fairy lights tangled around the top and bottom of the bed which give off a soft and pretty lighting.

I seriously love this gem of a candlestick from Tesco and I was lucky to have gifted from a friend. I think it would look gorgeous with a simple thick white candle but at the moment I am using this glittery Redcurrant and Cranberry candle from Stoneglow. The scent on this isn't very prominent but how adorable is the candle holder? It has a sort of 'outer rim' which contains a red sparkly gel with stars which was perfect over Christmas. I also have a few storage bits and bobs to hold my earrings, bobby pins, lipsticks and rings, and yep, another Yankee candle. I picked up 'Mandarin Cranberry' in the Yankee store just after Christmas in the sale, it smells fruity and warm and just so good!

Lastly, I have a really ugly wardrobe/mirror/drawer type thing - the kind of furniture you'd find in an outdated hotel if you know what I mean? On top, I store all of my laundry products including this cute white basket from Ikea, along with a few books and DVD's. Yes, there is another Yankee candle up there too which is 'Paradise Spice'. I store my bodycare products next to the mirror, some in a basket and some are loose. Pictured is my Ted Baker make up bag which was £16 from the Swindon designer outlet centre (bargain!), my tea tree water from Lush, Taylor Swift 'Wonderstruck', a pot full of brushes and my Bumble and Bumble surf spray.

Come Mid March and i'll be moving back home for a couple of months temporarily before my new house becomes available and I will really miss having my own space. Although my room is quite grotty and outdated, decorating and making it homely is such a fun thing to do. Let me know if you'd like to see another room tour when I move into my new house in July!

How do you decorate your room? I love 'Home decor' posts, so if you have written one, leave me a comment with the link so I can check it out!